QUETTA: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) secretary general Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri has said that during the last five years nationalists remained busy in looting public funds and did nothing for the people who voted for them.

Speaking at a public meeting during the opening of a JUI-F’s election unit on Wednesday, he vowed that the JUI-F and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) would provide better infrastructure, health, education and other basic facilities to the people of Balochistan.

“People of the province will be owners of the resources if they give mandate to MMA in the upcoming general elections in Balochistan,” Maulana Haideri said.

Criticising the Baloch and Pashtoon nationalists’ parties who were part of the coalition government despite changing of two ministers, the former deputy chairman of Senate said: “The future generation of Balochistan is compelled to live without basic facilities as previous nationalist governments left nothing for them but filled their own bank accounts by mega-corruption,” Maulana Haideri said, adding that after coming into power through public votes, the MMA and the JUI-F would turn Quetta into a mega city with development and provision of basic facilities.

He recalled that there was a time when people from other provinces visited Quetta to enjoy its cool weather and beauty but today the city was among the worse places for living in the world.

The people of Balochistan would be owners of Reko diq. No one would be able to deprive them of their rights,” he said, adding that if the MMA failed to fulfil its promises, they would present themselves for public accountability.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2018